It is a matter of great pride that Indian minds are among the brightest in the world. But it is also a matter of utter shame that in India itself, young students are so pressurized that they choose to rather give up their lives, than (even) see their results.
A recent news article highlights this.
Our dreams for them are so big that their inability to achieve those dreams makes them totally insignificant in their very own eyes. Are we stretching it a bit too far?
Atrocities on kids are something we are highly concerned about, especially with the recent increase in the same. Let’s put little extra effort to save them from parent pressure, which leads them to inflicting punishment on themselves. And this is significantly high in the southern region, which has a higher education rate compared to the rest of India.
We argue, that it’s for their good we ask them to study. But how do we ask that? Do we emotionally blackmail them? Do we compare them with their fellow students & humiliate them? Do we shove the burden of our reputation upon their little shoulders? An eye-popping statistical report shows 40% student suicides in India alone.
To all the talented (in their own way) students who have high potential in their lives, I have some questions. How important are you? How do you access your unworthiness? Who gives you the right to take away your life? You didn’t choose to come into this world. You can’t justify taking it away. More so, for a petite reason like marks. The world will not collapse
Why don’t we encourage students who haven’t got excellent marks in 10th/12th to look beyond and pursue a career path they might excel at? We tend to become so obsessed with meagre figures that we fail to see that our kids might be excelling at something else. It could be sports, it could be music. But do we care? Some parents do cross the fine line between discipline & despotism, who make their wards take a plethora of classes to excel at everything!
I definitely don’t commend kids who have been assured of immense family wealth that they conclude that education is not important. Education is the foundation of a person’s identity. It refines character. But is definitely not more important than life!
Why is it so important to take pride in our children’s achievements that we utterly forget to cherish them? Which parent would agree that they would rather have an academically outstanding child than no child at all?
Let’s give them a place to return to, no matter what they have done-home!
Well reading this, I have some hope for the kids of future!
ReplyDeleteAnd if the deaths mentioned in the news article weren't real, I would have been laughing hard at the irony portrayed there.
Few points from my own life:
1. My parents never really pressured me to be a bright student. Somewhere along the line, I pressured myself to that bright student to make his family proud. And I still bear the burnt of that unrealistic hype I created in childhood.
2. Many of the 'not so bright' peers of that time are doing mighty successful at present, while I know a lot of people (including me) who set out to be big guns, but are now struggling to make stuff happen in their life.
3. I look back and get amazed how much we got depressed for even half marks in not so significant subjects. Nobody cares about what I did in 7th class or 5th semester. What matters is what I am doing now, how I take it from here.
4. I wish our education system could be overhaulded so that students are not judged by the marks that get but by whether they are able to find and pursue their passion or not. I certainly hope that will happen sometime in future.
Few more things:
1. I like your style of writing. You have the habit of using some unconventional words here and there. Keep it up!
2. I guess you use some other editor rather than plain notepad to write your blogpost draft. The different font sizes throughout indicates that. I would suggest you first copy your post to notepad before copying back from there to your blog editor.
3. Somewhere you used 'access' instead of 'assess'!
Thanks a lot Ravi Ji. The 'access' was the result of numerous office related mails ;)
DeleteIts true, somewhere, more than our parents pressurizing us, we had taken up the 'unrealistic' responsibility to make them (extra)proud.
So how do you suggest that one achieves the fine balance between encouraging ones child to study yet not be pushy about it?
ReplyDeleteAs regards comparisons, they're bound to be there no matter whether your parents compare you or not. Atleast in the semi-nuclear families that we have these days... All your uncles and aunts have something to say about you! Usually the something isn't very encouraging...
I believe what one should focus on is communication... If a child is feeling pressurized, he should be able to talk about it!
By the way... Nice blog, I see you post weekly!
Striking a fine balance can be done by not putting the relatives' comparisons as the parents' expectations. Children are more affected by what their parents expect of them!
DeleteBy the way... Thanks :)